People are scared to go out in the sun due to this notion that the sun causes skin cancer. Today’s busy world, people have less time to spend outside as they are always busy working. The job market has seen more workers indoors for many hours as opposed to previous eras where people worked outdoors. This has also affected children in school or engrossed in electronic entertainment or online activities. This fear of cancer and the current lifestyle has led to many people developing vitamin D deficiency. Because of the global pandemic ravaging the world, vitamin D supplements are more needed now than ever. People especially need it now that they have been locked down in their homes because of Covid-19 Pandemic.
How is Vitamin D created?
Vitamin D is naturally occurring in very few plants/foods and is made of fat-soluble vitamin. It is also made when the sun rays hit the skin and trigger the synthesis of vitamin. Whether we have gotten it from sunlight, food, or supplements, it’s only activated in the body when it goes through two hydroxylation. Which occurs in the liver where calcidiol (25-hydovitamin D or [25(OH)]) is converted from Vitamin D. Kidneys perform the second conversion where it forms a physiologically active 1, 25-dihydoxyvitamin D or D [1, 25(OH) 2D] which is known as calcitriol.
The role of Vitamin D
It is used to promote the absorption of calcium in the gut. It also helps prevent hypocalcemic tetany by maintaining the right amount of concentration of calcium and phosphate in the bones. This ensures that there are normal mineralization in the bones promoting growth and remodeling through osteoblast and osteoclasts. When there are deficient levels of this vitamin in the body it can cause thin, brittle bones prone to breaking. When there’s a sufficient level of this vitamin it can prevent children against rickets and adults against Osteomalacia. When combined with calcium it protects against osteoporosis in older adults. Other roles of vitamin D are:
- Promotes healthy teeth and bones- it plays a huge role in regulating calcium and in maintaining phosphorus levels in the body.
- It helps reduce developing Flu- some studies have suggested that it helps protect against the influenza virus.
- It has been found that a sufficient level of vitamin D is crucial to the health of infants. Children with low vitamin d levels have been found to have stiff arterial walls. There has also been a connection to high risks of allergic sensitivity.
- It protects pregnant women against preeclampsia and early childbirth, which is caused by low vitamin D levels. Doctors have also found connections of gestational diabetes and bacterial vaginosis that a linked-to insufficient level of vitamin D.
What causes Vitamin D deficiency?
- Sunscreen with a high SPF or over 30 can affect the body’s capability to synthesize the vitamin by a great percent.
- Children who are exclusively breastfed need a vitamin D supplement.
- Skin type especially dark skin tones have melanin which reduces the body’s capability to absorb UVB sun rays.
- The geographic location of a place can affect the body’s capability of absorbing vitamin D, especially in the northern hemisphere.
Vitamin D is crucial in maintaining the body. Today’s busy lifestyle where people do not have a chance to go out and sun bask early in the morning. They have formulated some multivitamins to provide supplement what the body cannot easily make. People should make use of them and enjoy a healthy body!